Is the 59N out of favor right now?

[John Wymore]

Just curious ....

I was looking over my sales the last couple months and I have literally not had a single order for a 59 neck. Right now it's mostly Jazz, Pearly Gates and Alnico II Pros that I am selling for neck applications. A couple years ago it was 59's and Jazz and very rarely an Alnico II Pro or PG.

Have we changed or maybe everybody in the world already owns a 59 neck!!

 

[Curly]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

well, I think the others are really popular on the forum, but the '59 is still a heck of a pickup, especially for the $$ - it's gotta be one of the best deals in a humbucker.

maybe tastes in pickups go in cycles, though, like everything else.

I thought the N was definitely more popular than the B though, at least on the forum.

 

[sufferinrewind]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

You know, if more people knew that the pickup Allan Holdsworth used was basically a '59n in the bridge, I bet people would start eating them up.

 

[BigDreamer]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

Could be that since a lot of guitars these days come with '59s stock in the neck, when people want to try something new they obviously exclude that one as an option.

Or, everyone here has convinced people to buy the other models.

Or, though I can't speak for the PG, maybe more and more Slash fans are picking up the guitar and then buying Alnico II Pros.

Anyways, just a few possibilities to mull around the 'ol noggin.

 

[bloodswords]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

no disrespect to DUncan- but the '59 (neck) was the first humbucker i tried & disliked + tried again subsequently but STILL couldn't bring myself to like it.

 

[sufferinrewind]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

Could be that since a lot of guitars these days come with '59s stock in the neck, when people want to try something new they obviously exclude that one as an option.

Indeed. I've seen a lot of guitars with the '59 stock in the neck, especially Shecter guitars.

Or, though I can't speak for the PG, maybe more and more Slash fans are picking up the guitar, and then buying APIIs.

This could also be true. I've seen 3 or 4 Slash threads in the Pickup Lounge recently.

I've also seen a lot of talk about the PG. Lew has been praising it every chance he gets, and I'm sure people here listen with an open mind when Lew is recommending something. Everyone here respects him a lot.

 

[saladin]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

The set of 59's I have in my Tele rang out big and fat during rehearals with our new singer tonight. I wouldn't change a thing!

In my Strat, though, the 59's overly emphisize the already scooped sound of a Strat, making it sound too nasal and weak. I replaced the 59n with a PGn last month and it is a whole other world. Very smooth with lots of midrange to make the guitar sound bigger. I'm getting a CC from a forum bro and will be trying that out in the bridge. Sounds like a good match.

It's all about finding the right pickup to get the job done!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

The 59n is a great pickup played clean...like the way a jazz or country or blues player might use it. But through a cranked rock n roll amp set for an overdriven tone from the bridge pickup, the 59n has a bit more bass than I need to get a clean enough tone for chords. I think that's why alot of players (Robben Ford, Slash, etc.) have gone to alnico 2 neck pickups like the PG or AIIPro or the alnico 5 Jazz n.

The 59n is a cool pickup though...I tend to sell it to guys who play with an overdriven tone most of the time. Rock players mostly.

The 59n gets a great clean tone at lower volumes...and it's a great pickup for those who play loud and WANT an overdriven rythym tone all of the time. Didn't Dimebag use one with the Dimebucker?


Lew

 

[Surgeon]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

IMO, the '59 (both bridge and neck) can sound good in about any guitar... some may sound better and some worse. It's all a matter of how you tweak your rig (some people forget that you have to adjust your amp's settings and such after a pick-up change to get into the sweet spot)...

However, they sound fabulous in a semi-hollow (IMO once again). They just are awesome in my '335 copy through my JCM800... so rich, percussive, clear, I mean I don't even dare put the Seths I have sitting on the shelf in that guitar. They just are that good for me...

I can accept that the neck version can sound muddy in some guitars but that's nothing a little tweaking can make bearable/pleasant...

 

[theodie]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

I havent heard many neck buckers (or any?) that sound as good as the 59N on a good clean channel! Thats where it is in its element! For the neck pickup under gain, give something with an A2 magnet like a Pearly gates!

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

Could be that since a lot of guitars these days come with '59s stock in the neck, when people want to try something new they obviously exclude that one as an option.

Which in turn means that there are a lot of used ones on the market. I'm sure that's at least a factor.

 

[Voxman]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

Tested my very first SD today,wooooow....!!!
It was the lil`59n,it` made my strat sound perfect.

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

When I first arrived at the SD forums in 2002 I had a pair of '59s in a Les Paul Standard and they sounded great. Since then I've also tried the Custom, Custom 5, Seths, Ants and Alnico II Pros. All great pickups, but recently I put my old '59 set in my '91 LP Classic and they are sounding killer, especially through the JMP 2204. :32:

I have at times found the '59N to be too bassy, but I am getting on fine with it in the Classic currently and especially digging the extra top end cut. I love the versatility of the 59B too. Plenty of bite and punch wide open but it also responds really well to adjustments in volume, tone and attack. There is something invigorating about that big bold wide-open alnico 5 tone! In fact I've started to find alnico 2 pickups sound compressed by comparison. Full circle?

So the 59N is back IN favor with me right now! I reckon you're right - there's barely a human dwelling on the planet that doesn't already have one.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

59n is a tough pickup to match well with. Most people are not paring them with a suitable bridge...ESPECIALLY the manufacturers who put them in stock with something like a JB.

It really needs something like another 59 in the bridge or a Duncan Custom as a good match. Otherwise it's a bit hard to get the EQ right on the amp...the 59N either ends up sounding too woofy/bassy or the bridge ends up sounding too thin.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

59n + C5b = killer tone !!!

 

[Kelsey]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

I have a set of 59's in my '99 LP Classic. I tried a set of Antiquity HBs in it first, but they were too weak in the low end in that guitar. The 59s filled out the low end just right and retained the open mids and chimey highs to a remarkable degree. I doubt that I could do significantly better in that particular LP. I also have Seths in an ES-137 and APH and PGb in a LP Studio, and I'd say that the Seths and 59s are my faves.

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to play a Fender CS 52 LTD Tele with a 59 neck in it, and that sounded incredible as well.

 

[St-Jimmy]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

I had a 59N paired with a JB on my Epiphone SG before I sold it... I didn't like it too much. It's got a nice creamy sound (which was the positive), but when I was playing chords with it, it was just too bassy and got really muddy. I felt like it lacked any crunch and had a lot of thump in it. not really my taste, but maybe thats how it's supposed to sound in a mahogany neck and body? I dont know, maybe works better in a strat. But, i'm willing to try a Jazz, APII, or even a Full Shred in the neck.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

I've paired the 59n with the jB and liked it alot...guess we all have differant tastes.

I like it with a hot bridge humbucker with plenty of bass because then I can turn down the bass and volume on the amp and if the bridge bucker is strong enough I'll still get some overdrive from it and the 59n stays clearer for chords and rythym.

Robben Ford used the 59n with a JB on the Talk To Your Daughter CD and that's still my favorite CD of his.

But I like a neck bucker with less bass...and so does Robben these days. I think he's now using the PGn...like alot of us.

Lew

 

[TheArchitect]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

The 59 neck is too bassy in 22 fret instruments for my taste. I prefer the PG in the neck slot. The 59b on the other hand is simply amazing.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Is the 59N out of favor right now?

I prefer the PG in the neck slot. The 59b on the other hand is simply amazing.

100% agreement!